Member Services
Voluntary Bar Center
This electronic digest of voluntary bar news is dedicated to the interaction of local, special interest and substantive bar associations. It will serve as a forum to share information and highlight the many activities of the voluntary bar associations of The Florida Bar and will be published at least once a month or as needed. You can view past and current issues by going to the bar's website, www.FLABAR.org. Submit articles, pictures or general comments to Maria Simmons Johnson, the Bar-to-Bar E-news editor and your voluntary bar liaison, mjohnson@flabar.org or 651 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300. Photos sent by e-mail should come in jpg and gif format.
September/October 2008, Issue 41
What's Going on Around the Bars...
TBA's Celebrity Waiter Dinner ~ Le Tour de France! to benefit the Legal Aid Foundation -- On Sept. 25, the Tallahassee Bar Association will host its 17th Annual Celebrity Waiter Dinner to benefit the Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association. A special Happy Hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. and dinner seating will start at 6 p.m. For more information, call the Tallahassee Bar Association at (850) 222-3292.
Quince to be honored by D.W. Perkins Bar Foundation -- The D.W. Perkins Bar Association Foundation will honor Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Quince and all Jacksonville area state and federal judges on Oct. 2 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the University Club of Jacksonville. The cost to attend is $25, but complimentary to members of the judiciary. For more information, e-mail info@dwperkinsbar.org or call (904) 396-9282.
Minority Mentoring Picnic to be held Nov. 1 -- Mark your calendars for Nov. 1 and join more than 1,500 lawyers, judges, minority law school students, guests and family members for the Fifth Annual Minority Mentoring Picnic that will be held at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah. Join other voluntary bar associations from throughout Florida as they participate. For more information, to RSVP and to see photos from past picnics, go to www.kttlaw.com/mmp. If you have specific questions, e-mail John Kozyak at jk@kttlaw.com or call him at (305) 377-0654.
PBCBA Bench Bar conference set for Nov. 7 -- The Palm Beach County Bar Association will host its Annual Bench Bar Conference on Nov. 7 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. The Bench Bar Conference is an opportunity for attorneys and judges to meet informally in a roundtable atmosphere to discuss issues of concern to both the Bench and Bar. For more information, contact the bar association at (561) 687-2800 or visit www.palmbeachbar.org.
Celebrate "The Spirit of the Caribbean" for a worthy cause -- The Caribbean Bar Association will host its 12th Annual Scholarship and Awards Banquet at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Signature Grand in Davie. To RSVP and for sponsorship Information call Sherylle Gordon at (954) 958-1584 or sgordon@ghj.com.
Crauwels named President of FLABOTA -- Patricia D. Crauwels of Matthews, Eastmoore, Hardy, Crauwels & Garcia in Sarasota was sworn in as president of the Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the first woman to lead the statewide organization.
Monthly judicial luncheon series brought to you by the FACDL-Miami Chapter -- The Miami Chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has began a Monthly Judicial Luncheon Series. The luncheons will be held from 12-1:30 p.m. and take place at the Biscayne Bay Marriott (1633 N. Bayshore Drive). The Luncheon Series will continue on the following dates: Oct. 23, Nov. 13, Dec. 18, Jan. 15, Feb. 19, March 19 and April 16, 2009. For more information, contact Rick Freedman at (305) 375-9510 or rickfreedman@aol.com.
FBF benefits from cy pres award -- A $295,000 cy pres award secured for The Florida Bar Foundation on Aug. 12 by Tampa attorney John Yanchunis will go a long way toward supporting the work of those who represent the state's most vulnerable citizens. As class counsel in the suit involving tiny overages applied to a large class of consumers, Yanchunis recommended The Florida Bar Foundation as the recipient of the settlement, given the impracticality of locating all the members of the class. The mission of the Florida Bar Foundation is to provide greater access to justice. For more information on the award, contact Nancy Kinnally at (407) 843-0045, ext. 103, or Nancy@flabarfndn.org.
HCBA continues to provide legal education to the public -- The Hillsborough County Bar Association is providing a legal education series to the Public with the People's Law School. The People's Law School provides free legal education for the public at the lay person level. There is no cost to attend, nor a pre-registration. The HCBA's People's Law School is held at the Chester H. Ferguson Law Center. For more information and the series schedule through December, contact Lisa Tifft, public relations coordinator at (813) 221-7779.
Miami-Dade FAWL invites you to Work All Day. . . Wind Down and Play -- The Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers will co-host a Wine Tasting and Networking Event from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 16 at the Canvas Wine tasting Room on Brickell Key. The Chapter will be collecting voluntary $10 donations for Kidside, a not-for-profit organization composed of attorneys, mental health professionals and members of the judiciary devoted to supporting Family Court Services improve services for families in the family law court process. For more information and to RSVP, contact Hannah Bradley at (305) 371-3960 or hbradley@dvllp.com.
CLSMF and the VCBA to honor local attorneys -- The Volunteer Lawyers Project of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Inc. and the Volusia County Bar Association will hold their 24th Annual Pro Bono Awards Dinner on Sept. 25 at the Palmetto Club in Daytona Beach. For more information on the ceremony and honorees, contact Larry Glinzman at (386) 255-6573, ext. 2550.
WDFJBA Black Judicial forum -- The Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association will present local African-American judges discussing pertinent issues relating to the practice of law in Miami-Dade County and their experiences as members of the judiciary. The forum will be held on Oct. 23 at noon at the Bankers Club in Miami. For more information, e-mail Racole Henry at RacoleHenry@gmail.com.
TWL to host 26th annual judicial reception -- The Tallahassee Women Lawyers will host its 26th Annual Judicial Reception on Oct. 22 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Florida's Historic Capitol. Attorney General Bill McCollum and Solicitor General Scott Makar will be the guest speakers. For more information and tickets, contact Beth Shankle-Anderson at (850) 443-1544 or bshankleanderson@gmail.com.
HBACF will host election debates -- The Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida, in partnership with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando, Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, La Prensa Newspaper, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, WONQ Radio, Barry University School of Law and the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida will host a series of Central Florida election debates to promote voter education. The next series of debates will be held on October 6 and 7 from 6-9 p.m. at UCF's downtown Orlando campus.
Central Florida to host Diversity Picnic -- The Central Florida Diversity Picnic will be held on Feb. 28, 2009, at Stetson University College of Law, Tampa Law Center. All minority law school students from all Florida law schools are invited to attend. The event will allow law students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to meet and begin to establish mentoring relationships with attorneys and members of the judiciary from Central Florida. For more information, contact Tony Cabassa at lcabassa@tsg-law.com.
Law Day 2009 -- Law Day is May 1, 2009. Visit www.lawday.org to download the 2009 brochure, and visit often over the next few months for updates and additional resources to assist you in your Law Day 2009 planning.
The Florida Bar
2009 Midyear Meeting Set -- The Florida Bar will host its 2009 Midyear Meeting Jan. 14-17, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Miami.
Board Election Run-off for 11th Circuit, Seat 4 -- Go to https://www.esc-vote.com/flabar -- and vote for your Eleventh Circuit, Seat 4, Board of Governors candidate. See the platform statements of board candidates. Ballots will be mailed to 11th Circuit Bar members on or before Sept. 15 and must be returned to the Bar's election company no later than midnight Oct. 6. Complete instructions for electronic voting, along with the necessary password, will be included with the ballots.
Nominations sought for Hoeveler Award -- The Florida Bar's Standing Committee on Professionalism is now accepting nominations for its William M. Hoeveler Judicial Award. The Hoeveler Award is for "a judge who best exemplifies strength of character, service, and competence as a jurist, lawyers and public servant. Nominations for the Hoeveler Award must be submitted by Dec. 1. Winners will receive their awards at the Bar's Annual Convention next June. For more information, contact Becky Blackburn at the Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism at (850) 561-5743 or rblackbu@flabar.org.
Board of Governors vacancy -- Nominating petitions for The Florida Bar Board of Governors Eleventh Circuit, Seat 8, are due by 5 p.m., Tues., Sept. 30. See the news release to access the petition.
Florida is Free!! -- Fastcase offers FREE access to Florida case law. Log-in at www.floridabar.org. Call (866) 77-FASTCASE if you have questions.
GPSSF Section offers free seminar -- The General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section is making its most recent CLE Ethics Program available to its members at no cost as a way to "thank you." The Ethics Law Updates allows members to obtain all of their ethics CLE requirements in one seminar. This offer is also available to nonmembers for a fee of $85, which includes membership in the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section. For more information, visit www.gpssf.org.
Florida JQC Vacancy -- Persons interested in applying for a Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission vacancy may download the "Special Appointment" application from The Florida Bar's Web site at www.floridabar.org or call Bar headquarters at (850) 561-5757, to obtain an application form. Completed applications must be submitted to the Executive Director, The Florida Bar, 651 E. Jefferson St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300, no later than close of business, Friday, Oct. 31. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of applications. For more information, contact Kristen Wilson, The Florida Bar at (850) 561-5757 or kwilson@flabar.org.
The ABA
ABA Women Rainmakers: Mid-Career Workshop 2008 -- The ABA Women Rainmakers Mid-Career Workshop is taking place in Tuscon, Ariz. at the Westin La Paloma Oct. 17-19. Participants will engage in focused topical discussions; have the opportunity to assess their client relationships and personal growth; and acquire the proper tools to maximize rainmaking capabilities. For more information on ABA Women Rainmakers, visit www.womenrainmakers.org.
ABA Midyear Meeting -- The ABA Midyear Meeting will be held in Boston, Mass., Feb.11-17, 2009. There is no registration fee for the Midyear Meeting. Attendees can register for the Midyear Meeting several ways: on-line, by fax, by mail or on-site at the Sheraton. The deadline for advance registration is Jan. 9, 2009. For more information, contact the ABA Meetings Department at (312) 988-5870 or abameetings@staff.abanet.org.
Mark your calendar for the ABA BLI -- The 2009 Bar Leaders Institute, sponsored by the ABA Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services and the Division for Bar Services, will be held March 12-14 in Chicago. BLI registration forms, a detailed agenda, and hotel reservation forms will be available in October. A limited number of scholarships are available. If you would like further information about BLI registration or scholarships, please contact Karyn Linn at (312) 988-5350 or linnk@staff.abanet.org. Also, be sure to check the BLI Web site for updates at www.abanet.org/barserv/bli.html.
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Maria Simmons Johnson
Voluntary Bar Liaison
The Florida Bar
850/561-5648
850/561-5733(fax)
[Revised:
10-20-2009
]